Facing a serious decline of elephants in Vietnam, in 2011 the Vietnamese Government approved a project to conserve the species in the three provinces of Dak Lak, Nghe An and Dong Nai. According to Animals Asia, Vietnam has only over 80 tamed elephants, including 43 in Dak Lak Province.

As some tamed elephants were attacked by wild elephants, doctors of Asia Animal recently went to Krong Na commune, Buon Don District in Dak Lak province to treat injured elephants.

In February 2015, residents of Don Village, which is famous for taming elephants, found a wild elephant of around 5 years old, weighing 600, joining their herd of tamed elephants. The wild elephant suffered from serious wounds on his front legs, particularly the toenails. His trunk also had a hole. The villagers named the elephant Jun.

Experts of Asia Animal went to the village to treat Jun’s wounds. In the photo: Dr. Weng Yan (Singapore) is checking a swollen wound on the front leg of an elephant, which was possibly caused by a trap.

Doctors, veterinary experts cleaned the wounds and sent the sample taken from the wound to the Central Veterinary Institute in Khanh Hoa Province for testing to identify the bacteria that caused the infection. Based on the test results, doctors will choose the right antibiotics.

Dr. Weng Yan spoke with experts and people of Don Village about the treatment for the elephants.

Veterinarian Pham Van Thinh, from the Centre for Elephant Conservation of Dak Lak Province said to cure tumors of elephants, doctors firstly slit the tumors to take pus out and then cleaned the wound, and injected antibiotics often. After about 15 days to one month, the wounds will heal.

Mahout Y Tat Knul said that in recent months, wild elephants approached his village to attack tamed elephants four times, injuring three elephants.

According KNul, in the dry season, tamed elephants have to work hard to serve tourists so they are usually exhausted and easily develop tumors.

Experts from Norway use detectors to find metal fragments in the elephant’s leg. In the past two years, experts and doctors of Asia Animals treated 34 elephants.

Mr. Nguyen Tam Thanh from Asia Animals Vietnam said that if elephants in Vietnam are not treated, or assisted to reproduce or have a suitable habitat, the species will become extinct in the country in the next 20 years.